Now that all four of my children are away at college, and by away, I mean the closest one is three hours away and the furthest is 2000 miles away, the days of cooking for six are finished—at least on a regular basis. Not only did I cook for six, but they demanded leftovers.

As we are all spending hours in our backyards barbequing this summer, I can practically guarantee that most of us do not think about when or where the first BBQ was! And, those that do, probably think that it was us Americans who came up with this delectable way to cook foods. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

I like to cook. But I’m a busy person. For most of my meals, I try to come up with something that’s made from scratch, with ingredients that were grown, and/or raised humanely. I stay away from overly processed foods about 90% of the time. Here’s a few examples of my most popular half-scratch meals.

Regardless of what kind of job you have, getting dinner on the table when you are a busy parent is no easy task, but it’s not impossible. I also cook from scratch as much as possible. Here’s a few tips on how to get homemade-ish meals on the table that your family will love.

This morning, I got out of bed. To make matters worse, I decided to bake something, at the ungodly hour of 6:30 a.m. I hate baking for one reason: I don’t like to measure. I’ll make a sauce, throw together a stew or soup, all without benefit of measuring a single thing.

If you are looking for a place that serves some interesting street-food dishes, you need to check out the tasty and unusual treats turned out by Chef Page at McKibbin’s Irish Pub in Montreal’s Vaudreuil.

When I first met Tres Leches, I was aloof and disinterested. Left alone in a room together, however, we were forced to get to know each other better. It beckoned me closer. Tempted, I leaned in. It brushed my lips softly and against my will I savored its sweetness. It was love at first bite.

What I like about bread pudding, in addition to being torn between eating it and rubbing it all over my husband, is this: I don’t have to be exact with my measurements. I can slap it together. While I drink. It doesn’t get any better than that for a busy mom who likes to cook.